As NACWA discusses the power of collaborations at the Winter Conference in Charleston, we are pleased to announce the release of the Collaborating for Healthy Watersheds: How the Municipal & Agricultural Sectors Are Partnering to Improve Water Quality white paper. The white paper was funded through the Targeted Action Fund (TAF) as a collaborative effort between NACWA; AGree, which is an organization that seeks to drive positive change in the food and agriculture system by connecting and challenging leaders from diverse communities to catalyze action and elevate food and agriculture as a national priority; and the U.S. Water Alliance, an organization that focuses on breaking down the “silos” between sectors and provide leadership for building a national platform for holistic water policy.

The paper features partnership models between municipalities and farmers that can lead to progress on attaining water quality goals and reducing nutrient pollution in our nation’s surface waters. The traditional approach of building more and more advanced treatment facilities can result in an economic burden to many communities. Therefore, both water and wastewater utilities have looked for more cost effective solutions to create healthy watersheds and good water quality. One of the most promising approaches is to look upstream in the watershed to see if there are ways to prevent nutrients and other pollutants from being released into waterways in collaboration with agricultural and other partners.

The nine highlighted projects discussed in the white paper include:

• New York: New York City's Watershed Protection Program and Watershed Agricultural Council
• Oregon: Tualatin River Enhanced Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program
• Ohio: The Great Miami River Watershed Water Quality Credit Trading Program
• Wisconsin: Yahara Watershed Improvement Network (WINs)
• California: Fresno-Clovis Regional Water Reclamation Facility (RWRF) Agricultural
• Illinois: Lake Springfield Nitrogen Management Program
• California: Central Valley Salinity Alternatives for Long-Term Sustainability (CVSALTS)
• Florida: Northern Everglades and Estuaries Protection Program - Payment for Environmental Services
• Texas: Arroyo Colorado Watershed Protection Plan 

In addition to the nine case studies, the white paper also discusses federal efforts to promote collaboration. The paper outlines federal programs intended to foster more collaborative efforts throughout the country. These programs include USEPA's Water Quality Trading Policy and the USDA's Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) as well as the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP). The collaborations highlighted in the white paper all benefitted from these programs.

NACWA hopes that the white paper will encourage more stakeholders to consider and adopt innovative collaborations to address their water quality challenges.

The white paper can be downloaded here. Please contact Pat Sinicropi, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  for more information or with questions.